Where It All Started And Ended
by ExtinctionOfReality
Summary: FugaMina Summary: I wish I never got married for I would never love my wife as much as I do you, Minato. Wherever you are, I want you to remember this. Keep that knowledge close to your heart...


**Summary: **I wish I never got married for I would never love my wife as much as I do you, Minato. Wherever you are, I want you to remember this...

**Couples: **Fugaku/Minato (main), light Fugaku/Mikoto and Minato/Kushina

**Warnings:** character death, possibly OOC, a lot of time skip (please try to keep track), certainly some male/male, "cruel world", and other crap like that.

I tried to get some facts and timing right, but I'm not sure if it turned out that well. So, sorry if there are mistakes.

The whole story is written from Fugaku's pov.

**Where It All Started A****nd Ended**

_**["Love is an ideal thing, marriage**__** - a real thing." – Goethe]**_

The sun was already down by the time me and my teammates made it back to the village. It was a peaceful afternoon, only ruined with occasional laughs from my comrades. I never joined in, believing laugher to be the sign of weakness. My father was the one who told me so. I couldn't argue with him, knowing it would only result in my punishment.

At the age of twelve I finished the Ninja academy here in our village of Konohagakure. That was when my life changed dramatically, for the team I was assigned on never took even a single day off. I didn't mind that, I actually supported this idea, but it was becoming very tiring. That has been happening for two years now.

My parents expected nothing but perfection since I was going to become the leader of our clan when I grew up. Sometimes I wished I was free to do as I pleased.

I didn't have a goal or a dream, but that was something I didn't even need. I was like an empty shell flowing in the ocean, never reaching land. Maybe someday, that would change...

"...Fugaku!" I was brought back to reality as I felt a hand on my shoulder, "You spaced out," leave it to the idiot of our group to notice. I snorted at the green-eyed boy and kept on walking. I knew he was angry at me right now. He was easy to make fun of.

"Hey, Fugaku, want to have dinner with us?" questioned the blue-eyed female on the right side of me. I only shook my head "no" and raised my hand in a silent "goodbye". I never associated with them after missions, what was the point to change that now? I was actually glad I didn't have anything to do with them.

I walked slowly towards the Uchiha side of the village, where my home resided. There was no need to rush. I knew father was already home at this hour and I didn't need him yelling at me for every small thing. Mother never said a word or did a thing no matter how much I got hurt. It was sad really.

Eventually, I couldn't enjoy the peace of the evening and was home faster than I liked. The only time I got to be alone was over. Letting out a heavy sigh, I entered the house. Taking my footwear off, I couldn't help but notice extra ones that didn't belong to my parents. We had guests?

As soon as I entered the guest room, I was hugged by a pair of tiny hands. Blinking, I was taken aback by this sign of affection I rarely got from anyone. Pulling away, I looked down and was greeted by a pair of happy dark eyes, which were similar to my own apart from the joy that was shining in them.

Noticing my parents in the room behind, I bowed in a respectful manner to the girl. I had to do things officially whenever elders were around. She smiled brightly, which made my heart sink. How could anyone be this weak and not afraid to show it..?

"Now, now, Mikoto; you mustn't surprise your fiancé like that," her mother said, referring to the way I was hugged before. Certainly, I agreed with her. Mikoto had a way to always astonish me.

Mikoto, my cousin, has always been my fiancée since I was young. Our parents agreed on our marriage even without us knowing. I never liked this idea. She was a fun and fine girl, but she just wasn't for me. In fact, I never fell in love with anyone before. Mikoto wasn't an exception either.

"Gomen nasai, Ka-san," was the girl's reply. The four elders nodded as the man sitting near Tou-san, his brother, stood up. Thanking my parents for the warm hospitality, they left. Mikoto waved to me in a cheerful manner and ran after them. Sometimes I wondered if she was happy we would get married when older...

"How was your mission, _son_?" father questioned me. I bit the inside of my cheek and turned to face him. His piercing dark eyes stared at me, as if burning my soul. If I said I wasn't at all scared of him, I would be lying. This man was cruel, making me think I was an adopted child. He treated me as if I was never his son. That wasn't the case though and I knew it. Sharingan proved so.

"It was boring, Otou-san," I made a tiresome face to prove my point. In truth, the mission was one of the hardest I had ever been on. It was a C-rank mission, but I was still a genin. Even so, my father believed it was child's play and every low-ranked Uchiha could handle it.

"Good," was all he said and waved his hand, dismissing me. Without a single word, I walked away to my room, passing mother in the process, who didn't pay any attention to me. I never knew what it was like to be loved by Okaa-san, or anyone else for that matter.

Breathing freely when I entered my room, I slid the door shut. At last, the day was over. I was tired, but I didn't wish to sleep yet. My parents were going to bed soon, so I could sneak out of the house like I did so many times. I liked walking around the village at night time, clearing my thoughts of everything that has been going on in my life. For now though, I decided to occupy myself by reading scrolls of many techniques I would find useful.

*~_~*

The moon was already up by the time I made it out. Lights were already off in every house. Of course, everyone had a busy day tomorrow so it was understandable. I have been sneaking out of my house since I was ten years old and over the years, I have never seen anyone except ANBU members out at this hour.

I decided to take the road leading to the river. Looking at the water always calmed my nerves, ironically (N/A: fire jutsu user). The pale light of the moon was shining upon me all the way there. I enjoyed its' soothing rays more than the sun's, not really certain why. Shadows were lingering on every side of me, making me believe I wasn't alone.

And I was shocked to realize I wasn't.

Hearing the sound of someone crying made me feel uneasy. Who could be out at this time of night? It must be a child. I would never believe someone older could cry; especially so loudly. But then again, people surrounding me were all taught not to show weakness.

Making my way through the trees and bushes, I got to the place where the sound was coming from. The child might be injured. Maybe I looked like a prick to most people, but I had a heart as well. And right now, I couldn't bare to leave someone in distress, even if it went against what I usually do.

If my parents found out I had such weakness, they would surely kill me.

Finally making to the bank of the river, I noticed a child sitting there with his hands over his eyes, weeping. Getting closer, I noticed it was a boy and definitely not someone from our clan. None of us had blond hair. What was he doing at this side of the village then?

Standing now in front with my shadow cowering him over, I couldn't help but stare. He looked so tiny and fragile. Almost like a girl in fact. Shaking my head somewhat to get rid of the disturbing thought, I noticed he stopped crying. Instantly, he rubbed eyes and raised his head to look at me. I almost gasped as our eyes met. He had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. Even though they looked dim because of my shade, they still glittered.

"W-who… Who are you?" he asked, stammering a bit. His voice was slightly sore, but otherwise it was... nice really.

"Did you get lost, kid?" I decided to ignore him asking of my identity since he didn't introduce himself and focus more on the problem at hand.

He visibly frowned and crossed his arms, pouting in a stubborn manner. It's amazing how many emotions he could show at once.

"I'm not a kid! I have you know I'm going to finish the Ninja Academy this year!" so he must be twelve years old then (N/A: Minato finished the Academy at the age of ten, so he is wrong), though he didn't really have to shout so loudly, not to mention ignore my question completely. Hn, so much for my peaceful stroll.

I didn't say a word or made a move as he rose to his feet, showing that he wasn't as small as he looked. To no avail though, he couldn't be twelve…

"Eh? You have the hitai-ite? So you must be a ninja already!" he looked stunned at my forehead protector. Honestly, he must be surprised by many small things then. It was common to see ninjas wearing head protectors after all.

I thought it was best not to say anything to this idiot and decided to leave quietly. As much as it wasn't polite, I didn't care. He looked fine so there was no need for me to stick around. I came out to get rid of all the thoughts and problems, but this guy was just giving me a headache.

"I'm Minato Namikaze. Now, I'll ask you again, who are you?" I heard him say loudly. I was now a few feet away and could pretend I didn't hear him, but that would just be stupid. So, I stopped and turned around, without thinking. He had a sad expression on his face for some reason. The moonlight was reflecting on him, making his whole being look almost... angelic. I had never seen that on anyone before.

I couldn't help but smile. It was probably the first time I showed any sign of weakness. Turning back around to look away from his shocked face, I assumed he somehow knew I didn't show any emotions.

Pulling myself together, I didn't look at him this time.

"Fugaku Uchiha," was all I muttered and walked away, leaving the boy standing there. This time, he didn't hold me back.

Little did I know, I would see him again.

*~_~*

Almost eight years passed since that incident. I almost forgot it ever happened. It was so distant that now I believed it was a dream. But there was certainly no way I would dream of such _things_.

My father died of some illness I didn't know of and now I was the rightful leader of our clan, following in his footsteps and becoming a member of Konoha Military Police as well. Only twenty two and already have to be responsible for so many things. My marriage to Mikoto was going to happen in a few years as well.

Days passed by without many events. It was hard being the leader, but I was capable of handling this position well. Ka-san said father would have been proud of me. It's such a shame I would never be able to hear his words of praise.

Sitting at the office for the whole day wasn't something I was found of. I didn't have anything to do except filling out millions of useless papers. Did I become a Jounin for this?

I was shot, literally, out of my thoughts as the door to my office was thrown open. I glared at the person that entered and found a woman standing there. She was crying her eyes out and I sighed. It was time to finally do my job and forget these blasted papers for a while.

As it turned out, her husband was killed on unknown bases. The investigation did take a while, but eventually, the murderer was caught. I didn't believe it would be this easy to figure out who did this, but then again, many things turn out strangely in my life.

As it was, the murderer apparently turned out to be the same boy I met years ago, Minato Namikaze. If I knew he would be the one to kill, I would have ended his life right at that time near the river. And I heard many people had high expectations of him...

He was brought to my office for questioning and so, here I found myself, staring at those blue orbs of the confused fellow Jounin. Either he was stupefied by seeing me here or...

"I demand to know why I was arrested," as I suspected. This wasn't the first time I had to deal with people like him. Every case was similar in one way or another.

"Please, have a sit, Namikaze. I believe we'll have a long talk," with that said I gestured to the chair on the other side of my desk. Minato only stared at it for a while, not making any movements, but eventually, he complied.

Leaning back slightly, I tried my best to ignore the strange sensation I got from seeing the same person, if older, close again.

"So, Minato Namikaze, you are suspected of murdering a Chuunin, which I am sure you're aware of no matter how well you try to hide that. He was the husband of your old teammate, who I believe you liked and tried to propose to. The murder occurred yesterday night right after you returned from one of your C-rank missions with your own team," stopping there for a second, I picked an item that belonged to him from my pocket.

"You do not have an alibi to go by since you dismissed your team right before the murder. On the scene of the crime, we recovered this kunai marked with your seal. No one else in the village uses it. So, you had a motive and your weapon was recovered. Now then, were you the one who killed the ninja?" staring at him calmly as he absorbed the information I gave him, I looked closer at his face. For a male, he was too stunning. His eyes didn't look serious at all, just like back then. He may have grown, but I see his personality hasn't.

He visibly bit his lip and stared down at my desk, as if it was responsible for everything that was happening to him right now. Then, I felt new emotion radiating from him, "You have all the rights to suspect it was me. But don't you think I wouldn't have left evidence such as that if I were the one to kill?" he paused and raised his eyes to mine. I felt my heart skip a beat at the look he gave me, "It wasn't me, Fugaku."

I knew he was telling the truth. It wasn't hard to notice the truth behind his words or the look in his eyes. I didn't think he was capable of lying like that, but I wasn't going to take that chance. Calling out for other members, I told them to lock him into a cell until further investigation. Before Minato was taken out, I saw his smile. Did he believe in me that much to find the real culprit?

*~_~*

Two days had passed and Minato was released. It turned out to be the man's own wife killed her own husband. The motive was unknown, but there was a possibility she had some illness. And it was quite easy to explain how she got Minato's kunai...

During this whole time, most people were at shock to find out the great Jounin to be in custody. I received a few visits from his team as well, certainly, they weren't happy to find their sensei here. Especially the white-haired boy, whose look told me he wanted to see me dead.

During his time in the cell, no one was allowed to visit him. I did a few times though. Even though I did not particularly like talking to anyone, I was at ease with him. He wasn't mad at me for arresting him; after all, I was only doing my job. He did, however, tell me he knew who the killer was, though refused to tell me the identity until I found out myself.

After he was released, he invited me to go eat with him after work, to thank me for doing more research. For the first time in my life, I didn't disagree.

That's how I found myself at the bar, drinking sake with Minato and just plain relaxing. We were getting drunk quite fast, which neither one of us liked.

"... And then I told her, "Look, miss, I don't particularly like breasts. Gimme a dick!" You should have seen the look on her face. Priceless," both of us burst into laughter. I never had this much fun before. Just sitting here talking about nothing in particular made me feel alive. This place was crowded, but we weren't the only ones getting drunk, so no one cared about us laughing so loudly. Taking another huge gulp of sake, I couldn't really hear what else Minato was ranting about, until he asked one particular question.

"So, Uchiha, who do you prefer? Hunks or chicks?" he took a gulp of sake himself and I felt my head spin. I didn't quite register the question, but I answered the only thing that came to my mind.

"I'm affianced to my cousin," I laughed bitterly at that and turned my head from the table to look at him. He was sitting right in front of me on the sofa. I had one of my legs laid on the futon while another was keeping me from falling on the floor.

Minato shook his head and laughed with me, "You unlucky bastard. I heard there were marriages between clan members but this must suck," he then looked down at my leg and kept his look there for a long while. I didn't pay much attention to it at that time and let out a chuckle.

"It does. Who would want to marry your cou... sin..?" I suddenly felt something cold on my leg, looking down, I saw Minato caressing it gently. Blinking, I raised my head and met his eyes, which had a longing gaze in them.

What was this about?

He continued running the hand smoothly until it was on my knee. Then, he only looked at me seductively, keeping his hand in place. I could already feel myself harden just from his look. Remembering the glass of sake still in my hand, I drunk all of it at one sitting and put the glass carefully back on the table. Once I was sure it wasn't going to fall, I pushed Minato off of me roughly.

He had a hurt expression on at first, but when I kissed him passionately, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I pushed him on the futon and started undoing his pants, but felt a sudden tap on my shoulder. Growling and breaking our kiss, I looked up to see one of the waiters.

"Sir, please continue in another place. This isn't a brothel," was his quiet whisper, but me and Minato heard it clearly. The _hunk _in my arms started laughing loudly as we decided to do what was told of us. Helping each other, we somehow made it out of the bar and barely made it to Minato's apartment.

As soon as we were inside though, without further thinking, not to mention I couldn't think at all in this situation, I almost ripped his clothes to shreds and pushed towards the bed.

*~_~*

I still remember the next morning when we realized what we had done. We were both confused and tried to laugh it off, saying it was nothing. We were wrong though. The truth was; we fell in love. I'm still not certain how or why exactly it all happened, but none the less, it did. That couldn't be denied.

We spend the next couple of years going out whenever we were both free. I practically moved into his apartment, since my mother was still alive and living in my house. If she found out I was going out with a guy, she would be devastated and heartbroken. She was too old to sustain any more pain after the loss of her beloved husband, my father.

One night we decided to visit the part of the river where we first met. All the way I was telling him how I ended up there and he told me his own story. The truth was, a few Uchiha kids beat him up just because he "trespassed" on _their_ territory.

All he was doing was walking home from one of his genin missions and they bothered him for no reason. He managed to get away from them to the river. Washing off his wounds, he sat down and started crying over how unfair the world was to him. When he saw me, he felt his heart pounding faster since he sensed kindness coming from me. But when he heard I was an Uchiha, he was disappointed.

Of course, over time opinions on people change and surely, he found out that not all Uchihas were mean as long as no one bothered them.

I guess I missed his hurt state in the moonlight. I even felt slightly... guilty?

His arms wrapped around my waist as we stared at the moon together. I held him close to my chest, close to my heart, smiling. I wasn't afraid to show this kind of weakness to him.

At that time, I finally had a dream/wish: to stay with him forever.

Of course, the happiness didn't last long for in a few years, I was married to Mikoto. Sadly, I had to continue my bloodline and had no choice. That was the time Minato cut all the strings with me. He didn't wish to know of my existence anymore. It was painful, for the first time in my life, I actually experienced true suffering. Not only that, Ka-san found out I was cheating on Mikoto all these years. I knew she couldn't take such a wound and so, she died of infarction.

I lost two of my most precious people all in about one month. And what did I gain? A wife, who I didn't even love, only pretending I did. Some time after that, I found out about Minato's, now fourth Hokage's, marriage.

After that, I never smiled or showed any sign of emotion again.

But life still went on. Days turned into months for me. I didn't do anything different from the same things over and over again. I tried my best to play the role of a good husband, but even that didn't work sometimes. Knowing Minato had someone else was eating me inside. It didn't seem to go away. I still loved him no matter what after all and yet now, I didn't get to see him at all.

I thought it would never happen, but over time, the pain was easier to bare. In fact, I was at ease as soon as Mikoto born me a child, a genius. It's true what they say; only children can make you like the woman you don't.

Even though I had a child, I still could never forget Minato. That was a fact. I still had hope that someday, I would see him again. But that was fading since the day our roads divided.

I still can't believe how right I was.

Then came a time for the Third Great Shinobi War. I heard Minato was leading his team through the fire. Surely, everyone got affected by this war. Even Itachi, my son, had to witness the suffering people went through at the young age of four. The worst was yet to come though...

*~_~*

Sitting at the same spot we met, again, I was the one shedding tears this time. They silently fell from my cheeks as I stared at the water. This time, it was useless. It couldn't calm me down no matter what.

You're a fool, Minato, but I guess, in the end, you loved the village more than anything. Sacrificing yourself for its sake… You idiot, how could you do that? You left your son alone in this world and now, he would have to bare the consequences for your _mistake_. And you did make one by sealing the demon inside your own child.

Now look, I won't have a choice but to go against Konoha. It's unfair, isn't it? The village you risked your life to protect will fall into my clan's hands. Would you be happy to see me in control of it?

I shouldn't have married Mikoto. If I didn't, most of this mess would have been avoided. I would have you in the end with me. But at least, I have two sons. They mean everything to me, but you know that, because you are also a parent.

I miss you greatly, but for the sake of my family, I'll pretend I had nothing to do with you. I will keep what's in my heart a secret for a long while. But when, no, _if _we meet again, all I would ask would be for your forgiveness; for the mistakes both of us made.

Standing up, for a breath moment I saw Minato's face reflecting on the moon's surface. His bright smile won't leave his features even after death; that I'm certain of.

So this is where it started and ended. Inhaling the air one last time, with his scent barely there, but very well imprinted in my memory, I left; never coming back.

"I just hope our children won't make the same mistakes as us," I whispered to no one in particular, but somewhere, deep inside, I knew you heard me. You will always be here with me, I know it. Even though we have been apart till the end, we were always bound together, no matter what.

Smiling lightly, I slowly made it back to my house, to my already sleeping family.

_Rest in peace, my love._

**_["Love is like war: Easy to begin but hard to end." __– Anonymous]_**

...**_Owari…_**

**------------------------**

*bows* Gomen nasai for wasting your time with such a stupid story. I'm seriously not sure why I even uploaded it. Oh well...

Still, thank you for reading and review if you want.


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